Texas top 100 headlines new state rankings

With four five-star prospects and 32 members of the Rivals250, the state of Texas is enjoying yet another banner year for talent in football recruiting.

With the first release of the Texas Top 100, the Lone Star State kicks off the state rankings with a class of prospects that has elite talent at the top and terrific depth.

While Lufkin defensive tackle Jamarkus McFarland took the top spot in the first ranking, the next two spots were very telling; it's a terrific year for quarterbacks in the state of Texas. Dual-threat phenom Russell Shepard starts the season at the No. 2 spot. Because of his amazing athleticism and steadily improving passing fundamentals, Shepard received the early nod over Garrett Gilbert – who represents everything you could want out of a pro-style passer.

There is depth at quarterback as well. The most highly rated three-star prospect in the state is San Antonio Alamo Heights QB Drew Allen at No. 37. Allen has seen his recruiting stock sky-rocket since making an impressive showing at the Fort Worth Elite 11 regional workout.

As always, Texas is home to some very big and very mean offensive linemen. At No. 6 in the state rankings, Garrett Porter out of Odessa Permian is the highest rated lineman. However, there are several other notables in the list.

The running back position also illustrates the depth of the Texas 2009 class. Outside of the four-star range, Toben Opurum is a big and versatile back that checked in at No. 45 in the state. The depth extends all the way down to Conroe's Lou Greenwood at No. 78 and Rockwall Heath's Kendial Lawrence at No. 98.

While there are numerous teammates recognized in the Top 100, few are more intriguing than the quartet of defensive backs that hail from Lancaster. Joshua Brown lead off the group at No. 56, but cornerback Demontre Hurst wasn't far behind at No. 61. The cornerback foursome is rounded out by Kerry Lewis at No. 86 and Phillip Harvey at No. 99.

Among the other teammates represented, Euless Trinity features an impressive five-man crew. The No. 26 player in the state is cornerback Eryon Barnett, and safety Prinz Kande is No. 35. At No. 49, Siosaia Tuipulotu has tremendous upside as a defensive tackle who has only played one year of football. Nebraska is excited about running back Dontrayevous Robinson, a running back from Euless who checks in as the state's No. 58 prospect. Finally, Earnest Norman has been starting at linebacker for the Trojans since his freshman season. He will take his talents to Kansas after being named the No. 63 player in the state.

A few players earned their way into the initial Top 100 thanks to some strong showings on the summer camp circuit. Rockwall Heath quarterback Drew Hollingshead snuck into the rankings at No. 96 because of his strong showing in Fort Worth at the Elite 11 regional workout. Another star in Fort Worth was Mesquite cornerback Marcus Trice, who debuts all the way up at No. 42. Trice showcased his cover skills and versatility at the Nike Training Camp.

South Grand Prairie's Dewayne Peace earned the final spot on the list. However, with the help of teammates like Randall Dent (No. 91) and Joey Searcy (No. 47), there is no reason to think that a good senior season can't push him much higher in the rankings.